Saturday, September 17, 2005

Margot Wallström is, as readers of this and other blogs will be well; aware the chief propagandist for the European Commission. TV friendly and personally thoroughly pleasant (I can vouch for that, she has always been perfectly amenable when I have had dealings with her, both professional and social). However she has her own Jekyll side. This was recently apparent over her stealth editing comments in a speech which likened Eurosceptics to Nazi’s at the former Jewish ghetto of Terezin. Now it has appeared again in what must be some of the more undiplomatic made by an EU Commissar for a while.

“Of course I do not hate the USA! On the contrary : there are so many things that we can learn from the Americans. But I will not hesitate to criticise the administration if they deserve it and I think that the victims of Katrina AND the US Government are best helped by making sure that the relief-system works better. And since most of you who enter this blog seem like intelligent, well-informed people you can make your own judgement about what role the colour of the skin still plays in the USA – and elsewhere…” - my emphasis.

A direct attack on the US government, which she is intelligent enough to realise people will read as the federal government, not the State governments. Then to follow through with a direct allegation that racism played a part in the response to hurricane Katrina.

Impressive, I am sure you agree. Now will the State department finally realise, these people are not your friends?